Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in heart transplant recipients with biopsy-negative graft dysfunction.

AIMS: Graft dysfunction (GD) after heart transplantation (HTx) can develop without evidence of cell- or antibody-mediated rejection. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has an evolving role in detecting rejection; however, its role in biopsy-negative GD has not been described. This study examines CMR findings, evaluates outcomes based on CMR results, and seeks to identify the possibility of rejection missed through endomyocardial biopsy by using CMR in HTx recipients with biopsy-negative GD. METHODS AND RESULTS: HTx recipients with GD [defined as a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by >5% and LVEF < 50%] in the absence of rejection by biopsy or allograft vasculopathy and who underwent CMR were included in the study. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, re-transplantation, or persistent LVEF < 50%. Overall, 34 HTx recipients developed biopsy-negative GD and underwent CMR. Left ventricular late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on CMR was observed in 16 patients with two distinct patterns: diffuse epicardial (n = 13) and patchy (n = 3) patterns. Patients with LGE developed GD later after HTx [4 (1.4-6.8) vs. 0.8 (0.3-1.2) years, P < 0.001], were more often symptomatic (88% vs. 56%, P = 0.06), and had greater haemodynamic derangement (pulmonary capillary wedge pressure: 19 ± 7 vs. 13 ± 3 mmHg, P = 0.002) as compared with those without LGE. No significant difference was observed in the primary composite outcome between patients with LGE and those without LGE (50% vs. 38% of patients with events, P = 0.515). During a median follow-up of 3.8 years, mean LVEF improved similarly in the LGE-negative (37-55%) and LGE-positive groups (32-55%) (P = 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: Biopsy-negative GD occurs with and without LGE when assessed by CMR, indicative of possible rejection/inflammation occurring only in a subset of patients. Irrespective of LGE, LVEF improvement occurs in most GD patients, suggesting that other neurohormonal or immunomodulatory mechanisms may also contribute to GD development.

Implementing a community specialist team to support the delivery of integrated diabetes care: experiences in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: While models of integrated care for people with chronic conditions have demonstrated promising results, there are still knowledge gaps about how these models are implemented in different contexts and which strategies may best support implementation. We aimed to evaluate the implementation of a multidisciplinary diabetes Community Specialist Team (CST) to support delivery of integrated type 2 diabetes care during COVID-19 in two health networks. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used. Quantitative data included administrative data on CST activity and caseload, and questionnaires with GPs, practice nurses (PN) and people with type 2 diabetes. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus groups about the service from CST members, GPs, PNs and people with type 2 diabetes. We used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research framework to explain what influences implementation and to integrate different stakeholder perspectives. Results: Over a 6-month period (Dec 2020-May 2021), 516 patients were seen by podiatrists, 435 by dieticians, and 545 by CNS. Of patients who had their first CST appointment within the previous 6 months (n=29), 69% (n=20) waited less than 4 weeks to see the HCP. During initial implementation, CST members used virtual meetings to build ' rapport' with general practice staff, supporting ' upskilling' and referrals to the CST. Leadership from the local project team and change manager provided guidance on how to work as a team and ' iron out' issues. Where available, shared space enhanced networking between CST members and facilitated joint appointments. Lack of administrative support for the CST impacted on clinical time. Conclusions: This study illustrates how the CST benefited from shared space, enhanced networking, and leadership. When developing strategies to support implementation of integrated care, the need for administrative support, the practicalities of co-location to facilitate joint appointments, and relative advantages of different delivery models should be considered.

Adapting Reach Up and Learn in Crisis and Conflict Settings: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study.

OBJECTIVES: In 2019, >71 million children aged <5 had spent their entire lives in conflict-affected settings. Compounding adversities including violence, poverty, and displacement have immediate and long-term effects on early childhood development, health, behavior, and well-being. In response, adaptations of Reach Up have been implemented in conflict and crisis settings. METHODS: This article uses exploratory multiple case study methodology, drawing from implementation and qualitative data from 3 interventions: a mobile phone-based intervention promoting nurturing care among Rohingya and crisis-affected host communities in Bangladesh; Reach Up amid acute violence and displacement in Northeast Syria; and Reach Up group sessions and home visits integrated with health services for an indigenous population in Venezuela. RESULTS: In Bangladesh, tailoring interactive voice response messages improved responsiveness to the developmental needs of young children, yet complementary in-person services were identified as a key program enhancement. In Syria, rapid adaptations of Reach Up addressed the needs of families in acute crisis, including social-emotional learning games for school-aged children. In Venezuela, Reach Up, coupled with complementary lactation counseling, yielded high rates of uptake and satisfaction, and children's language development was highlighted as a key area of growth. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations to promote early childhood development in crisis and conflict settings include: (1) cultural adaptation based on a holistic understanding of children and caregivers' needs; (2) the integration of child and family safety and linkages with complementary services on the basis of community needs and priorities, and (3) the importance of designing for scale through blended models and costing analyses.

Human social defeat and approach-avoidance: Escalating social-evaluative threat and threat of aggression increases social avoidance.

Basic research on avoidance by Murray Sidman laid the foundation for advances in the classification, conceptualization and treatment of avoidance in psychological disorders. Contemporary avoidance research is explicitly translational and increasingly focused on how competing appetitive and aversive contingencies influence avoidance. In this laboratory investigation, we examined the effects of escalating social-evaluative threat and threat of social aggression on avoidance of social interactions. During social-defeat learning, 38 adults learned to associate 9 virtual peers with an increasing probability of receiving negative evaluations. Additionally, 1 virtual peer was associated with positive evaluations. Next, in an approach-avoidance task with social-evaluative threat, 1 peer associated with negative evaluations was presented alongside the peer associated with positive evaluations. Approaching peers produced a positive or a probabilistic negative evaluation, while avoiding peers prevented a negative evaluation (and forfeited a positive evaluation). In an approach-avoidance task with social aggression, virtual peers gave and took money away from participants. Escalating social-evaluative threat and aggression increased avoidance, ratings of feeling threatened and threat expectancy and decreased ratings of peer favorableness. These findings underscore the potential of coupling social defeat and approach-avoidance paradigms for translational research on the neurobehavioral mechanisms of social approach-avoidance decision-making and anxiety.

Acceptability and feasibility of conducting a pilot trial in Irish primary care: lessons from the IDEAs study.

Introduction Understanding primary care practices' 'readiness' to engage in trials and their experience is important to inform trial procedures and supports. Few studies report on the feasibility of study procedures though this is a central part of pilot trials. We explored the acceptability and feasibility of study procedures of a cluster randomised pilot trial of an intervention in primary care to improve uptake of Ireland's national diabetic retinopathy programme.  Methods As part of the embedded mixed-methods process evaluation, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered across four general practices participating in the intervention. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of staff. Research logs on time spent on intervention delivery, staff assignment, resources, problems/changes, and reasons for drop-outs, were maintained over the course of intervention rollout, and practice audit data were analysed. Quantitative outcomes included recruitment, retention, completion, and data quality and completeness. Qualitative data on perceptions and experience of the pilot trial procedures were analysed using the Framework Method. Findings Nine staff (3 GPs, 4 nurses, 2 administrators) were interviewed. An interest in the topic area or in research motivated practices to take part in the trial. Reimbursement meant they could ' afford' to participate. Staff valued the researcher briefing at the start of the trial, to avoid ' going in slightly blind'. While staff varied in audit skills and confidence, and some found this aspect of data collection challenging, a ' step-by-step' audit manual and regular researcher contact, helped them stay on track and troubleshoot during data collection. Audit quality was acceptable overall, however there were some issues, incorrect assignment of patient status being most common. Conclusion The IDEAs trial procedures were acceptable and feasible for primary care staff, however, challenges with conducting the audit may reflect staff skills gaps and the need for greater guidance and support from researchers.

Clinical and Echocardiographic Predictors of Outcomes in Patients With Moderate (Mean Transvalvular Gradient 20 to 40 mm Hg) Aortic Stenosis.

Risk factors for adverse clinical outcomes in patients with moderate aortic stenosis are not well defined. Previous studies have suggested that certain patients with moderate AS may be at an increased risk of heart failure (HF) or death. All patients with moderate AS seen in our institution during the study period (6/1/2014 to 6/30/2017) with a minimum 1-year follow-up were included. Clinical and echocardiographic data were collected retrospectively. End points were defined as HF hospitalization, aortic valve replacement (AVR), or death. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models analyses were conducted using composite outcomes of (1) HF hospitalization or AVR and (2) HF hospitalization, AVR, or all-cause death. A total of 151 subjects met the inclusion criteria. The most significant risk factors associated with the composite outcomes were an ejection fraction (EF) <50% ((1) hazard ratio [HR]: 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.34, 7.12; (2) HR: 3.8; 95% CI: 2.2, 6.6), atrial fibrillation ((1) HR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.2, 3.2; (2) HR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.43, 3.2), left ventricular hypertrophy ((1) HR: 5.85; 95% CI: 2.0, 15.8; (2) HR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.4, 7.4), aortic valve area ((1) HR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.6; (2) HR: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.65), and abnormal right ventricular function ((1) HR: 4.3; 95% CI: 2.5, 7.5; (2) HR: 5.5; 95% CI: 3.0, 9.8). In conclusion, presence of reduced ejection fraction, atrial fibrillation, left ventricular hypertrophy, and abnormal right ventricular function are associated with an increased risk of HF hospitalization, AVR, and death in patients with moderate aortic stenosis.

99mTc-Tilmanocept Versus 99mTc-Sulfur Colloid in Lymphoscintigraphy: Sentinel Lymph Node Identification and Patient-Reported Pain.

Lymphoscintigraphy plays a vital role in sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification in oncologic breast surgery. The effectiveness of SLN localization and the degree of patient pain were compared between filtered 99mTc-sulfur colloid (99mTc-SC) and 99mTc-tilmanocept. Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing lymphoscintigraphy for breast cancer using 99mTc-SC (June 1, 2010, to December 31, 2011) or 99mTc-tilmanocept (June 1, 2013, to January 31, 2014) was performed. SLN appearance time and uptake, SLN pathology, proportion of positive SLNs removed, and pain scores were compared for each radiopharmaceutical using the χ2 test, Fisher exact test, and unequal variance t test, as appropriate. Results: In total, 76 patients, with 86 evaluated axillae, underwent lymphoscintigraphy: 29 with 99mTc-SC and 47 with 99mTc-tilmanocept. The mean SLN appearance time was 11.0 min for 99mTc-SC and 19.3 min for 99mTc-tilmanocept (P = 0.003). There was no difference in the mean transit uptake percentage: 2.2% for 99mTc-SC and 1.9% for 99mTc-tilmanocept (P = 0.55). 99mTc-tilmanocept identified a greater proportion of intraoperative blue nodes than did 99mTc-SC (P = 0.03). There was no significant difference between 99mTc-SC and 99mTc-tilmanocept in the number of SLNs removed, number of patients with positive SLNs, or pain score. Conclusion: 99mTc-SC use in lymphoscintigraphy is an acceptable alternative to 99mTc-tilmanocept for SLN detection in breast cancer, on the basis of the similarity in intraoperative SLN identification and pain scores.

Heart transplantation for infective endocarditis: Viable option for a limited few?

Active infection in the recipient is considered a relative contraindication for solid organ transplantation. However, heart transplantation (HT) can be curative in patients with ventricular assist device infections. For patients with infective endocarditis (IE), valve replacement is part of the management strategy based on emergent, acute, or elective indications. HT has been utilized as an uncommon and sporadic treatment option for carefully selected patients with refractory or recurrent IE after all other surgical treatment options have been exhausted or are not feasible. Herein, we review 19 published cases of IE in whom HT was undertaken in the setting of ongoing active infection with reported good outcomes. We attempt to propose general criteria for HT in the setting of IE and discuss challenges and hurdles that clinicians might encounter when considering HT for active IE in the absence of robust data or clearly defined criteria.

Implementation research for early childhood development programming in humanitarian contexts.

Young children living in conditions of war, disaster, and displacement are at high risk for developmental difficulties that can follow them throughout their lives. While there is robust evidence supporting the need for early childhood development (ECD) in humanitarian settings, implementation of ECD programming remains sparse, largely due to the lack of evidence of how and why these programs can improve outcomes in humanitarian settings. In order to build the evidence base for ECD in humanitarian settings, we review the current state of implementation research for ECD programming (targeting children 0-8) in humanitarian settings, through a literature review and a series of key informant interviews. Drawing from existing frameworks of implementation research and the findings from our analysis, we present a framework for ECD implementation research in humanitarian settings and propose an agenda for future research.

The role of nurse specialists in the delivery of integrated diabetes care: a cross-sectional survey of diabetes nurse specialist services.

OBJECTIVES: International evidence suggests the diabetes nurse specialist (DNS) has a key role in supporting integrated management of diabetes. We examine whether hospital and community DNS currently support the integration of care, examine regional variation in aspects of the service relevant to the delivery of integrated care and identify barriers to service delivery and areas for improvement. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of hospital and community-based DNS in Ireland. METHODS: Between September 2015 and April 2016, a 67-item online survey, comprising closed and open questions on their clinical role, diabetes clinics, multidisciplinary working, and barriers and facilitators to service delivery, was administered to all eligible DNS (n=152) in Ireland. DNS were excluded if they were retired or on maternity leave or extended leave. RESULTS: The response rate was 66.4% (n=101): 60.6% (n=74) and 89.3% (n=25) among hospital and community DNS, respectively. Most DNS had patients with stable (81.8%) and complicated type 2 diabetes mellitus (89.9%) attending their service. The majority were delivering nurse-led clinics (81.1%). Almost all DNS had a role liaising with (91%), and providing support and education to (95%), other professionals. However, only a third reported that there was local agreement on how their service should operate between the hospital and primary care. Barriers to service delivery that were experienced by DNS included deficits in the availability of specialist staff (allied health professionals, endocrinologists and DNS), insufficient space for clinics, structured education and issues with integration. CONCLUSIONS: Delivering integrated diabetes care through a nurse specialist-led approach requires that wider service issues, including regional disparities in access to specialist resources and formalising agreements and protocols on multidisciplinary working between settings, be explicitly addressed.

Eosinophilia and Ulcerative Colitis Associated with Eosinophilic Myocarditis.

Reactive eosinophilia is associated with inflammatory bowel disease, but its association with eosinophilic myocarditis is rare. We report a case of a 42-year-old man who presented with hypovolemic shock secondary to diarrhea and recently diagnosed nonischemic cardiomyopathy (left ventricular ejection fraction, 0.29). Laboratory evaluation revealed marked peripheral eosinophilia. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed evidence of subacute-to-chronic myocarditis, and endomyocardial biopsy results were consistent with eosinophilic myocarditis. Colonic biopsy specimens revealed ulcerative colitis and no eosinophils. Hematologic evaluation was negative for an alternative cause of eosinophilia. The patient was given corticosteroids; his diarrhea resolved, but there was no short-term improvement in his ejection fraction, so an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator was placed. Follow-up at one year showed that the patient's left ventricular ejection fraction had improved to 0.42.

Progress in the Presence of Failure: Updates in Chronic Systolic Heart Failure Management.

OPINION STATEMENT: The therapeutic heart failure armamentarium has evolved from drugs to transplantation to devices through further understanding of its complex pathophysiology and pathogenesis. Current medications capitalize on our evolving understanding of the sympathetic and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone systems that subsequently promote both beneficial and maladaptive responses that ultimately yield a decrease in cardiac function. Despite these advancements, the prevalence of heart failure continues to rise and carries a significant burden on our patients and health care system. This presents a clinical dilemma on how best to care for a growing, complex, and heterogeneous cohort. Ideal treatments should decrease morbidity and mortality while providing an improvement in quality of life and functional capacity. New interventions will continue to become incorporated into everyday practice, but awareness and prevention should remain the mainstay followed by optimization of guideline-directed therapies. It is equally important to individually tailor our therapeutic approach. While strategies to treat heart failure with reduced ejection fraction continue to advance, our understanding of how best to treat specific etiologies remain in question. This review will focus on current and proposed novel interventions for the management of chronic, systolic heart failure including angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, If channel antagonist, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, and oral potassium binders.

Variations and similarities in clinical management of neonatal abstinence syndrome: Findings of a Canadian survey.

BACKGROUND: There are no evidence-based national guidelines for managing neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and surveys from other countries have demonstrated considerable variations in practice. OBJECTIVE: To describe NAS management practices in Canada. METHOD: The directors of all Level 2 and Level 3 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) were contacted to request their participation in a structured telephone survey. Frequency distributions were generated and associations between practice variations and unit type (Level 2 or 3) and size were examined. RESULTS: Personnel at 65 of 103 sites (63.1%) participated. Most (92.3%) stated their hospital has a written NAS practice guideline. The majority (89.5%) use a version of Finnegan's scoring system to monitor signs. If pharmacological treatment is required, 89.2% admit infants to the NICU and 93.8% routinely use cardiorespiratory monitors when treatment is initiated. Morphine is the first-line medication at most sites (96.9%). There was greater variability in terms of other practices: 44.6% observe at-risk infants in the NICU, while 52.3% allow them to room-in with their mothers; 65.1% use adjunct medications; 36.9% and 38.9% will discharge infants on the first-line and adjunct medications respectively, and 53.8% reported that breastfeeding is always encouraged, while 44.6% discourage breastfeeding if the mother continues to use illicit drugs and 1.5% make recommendations on an individual basis. Few practice variations were associated with unit type or size. CONCLUSION: While most NICUs surveyed have an NAS practice guideline, there are some notable differences in how NAS is managed. This underscores the need for research that can be translated into best practices.

Perceptions of a Primary Nursing Care Model in a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit.

The primary nursing care model optimizes relationship-based care. Despite using a primary nursing model on a pediatric hematology/oncology inpatient unit, it was hypothesized patients and nurses were dissatisfied with the structure of primary care teams and inconsistency of primary assignments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient/family and nurse perceptions of our current care model through assessing gaps in its operationalization and satisfaction. This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design featuring patient/family and nurse surveys. Of the 59 patient/family respondents, 93.2% prefer to have a primary nurse care for them and 85% are satisfied with how often they are assigned a primary care team member. Similarly, 63% of the 57 nurse respondents are satisfied with the current implementation of our primary nursing model and 61% state the model reflects good continuity of care. Yet 80.7% of nurses believe safety would improve for a patient whose nurse works shifts consecutively even if not a primary nurse. Overall, patients, families, and nurses value care continuity and meaningful nurse-patient relationships, which is fundamental to primary nursing.

The current literature regarding the cardiovascular effects of electronic cigarettes.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality globally. Electronic cigarettes are marketed both as nicotine substitutes and recreational devices. The popularity of electronic cigarettes has superseded other forms of nicotine replacement therapy. They are also popular in 'never smokers'. This review summarizes the available data regarding the cardiovascular effects of electronic cigarettes. The existing literature is limited and short term with a lack of high-quality studies and adequate follow-up. The available literature suggests that electronic cigarettes have sympathomimetic effects related to nicotine exposure, however, electronic cigarettes also contain other chemicals that require further investigation. Sparse data suggest vascular injury may be another concern. Further research is needed before broad recommendations can be made.

Predictors of incipient dysfunction of all cardiac chambers after treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma by tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

PURPOSE: We aimed to explore the hypothesis that early subclinical cardiac chamber dysfunction secondary to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma could be signaled by abnormal cardiac mechanics demonstrated by velocity vector imaging. METHODS: Echocardiographic images were acquired from the apical views in 23 metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients. All patients had baseline and at least a 3-month follow-up echocardiogram after receiving TKI therapy. Subendocardial borders of all the cardiac chambers were traced to obtain volumetric and deformation indices. RESULTS: Mean age was 67 ± 9 years with 92% men. The right ventricle peak systolic global longitudinal strain (GLɛ) and strain rate were significantly lower after TKIs (-23.49 ± 5.1 versus -19.81 ± 5.5, p = 0.002 and -1.52 ± 0.52 versus -1.24 ± 0.35 p = 0.02, respectively). LV GLɛ was not statistically different. Volumetric and deformation indices showed a minimal decrease of the right atrium reservoir and conduit functions, and no significant changes of left atrial function. CONCLUSIONS: The right heart exhibited greater strain changes than the left heart after TKI treatment. The implications of these findings and their potential significance warrant further work.

Temporal Trends of Cardiac Chambers Function with Trastuzumab in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor II-Positive Breast Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Trastuzumab has substantially improved overall survival and reduced the risk of disease recurrence in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor type II (HER-II)-positive breast cancer. However, this benefit may be at the increased risk of cardiotoxicity. We aimed to explore the early subclinical left and right ventricular as well as atrial dysfunction, in trastuzumab-treated patients with HER-II-positive breast cancer, using velocity vector imaging. METHODS: Echocardiography images were acquired in 50 patients with HER-II-positive breast cancer undergoing trastuzumab therapy. All patients had baseline and 3-6 months and 12-15 months of follow-up echocardiograms after initiation of trastuzumab therapy. Subendocardial borders of all the cardiac chambers were traced from the apical views to obtain volumetric and deformation indices. RESULTS: Mean age was 60 ± 13 years. Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction as well as conventional indices of right ventricular (RV) function did not change with trastuzumab. The RV peak systolic global longitudinal strain (GLε) significantly decreased (-24.53 ± 6.03 vs. -21.28 ± 5.11 vs. -21.84 ± 5.15, baseline vs. first and second follow-ups, P = 0.01). LV peak systolic GLε was reduced by 1.19 at early follow-up (P < 0.05). Left atrial reservoir and booster pump functions as well as right atrial reservoir function were reduced through follow-up as well. CONCLUSIONS: The RV exhibited greater change in strain after trastuzumab treatment when compared to the LV. Atria function was reduced by trastuzumab as well. The repercussion of these findings and their potential implication will warrant further study.

Cardio-oncology Part I: chemotherapy and cardiovascular toxicity.

Cancer and cardiovascular disease are the most common causes of mortality in the US, causing approximately 1.2 million deaths annually. The incidence of cancer is expected to increase as the population ages. The prognosis of cancer patients has improved over the last few decades primarily because of newer chemotherapeutic drugs; however, many of these drugs have cardiotoxic side effects. The short-term cardiovascular toxicities of more established drugs are well described; however, understanding of the underlying pathogenesis is increasing. The delayed cardiotoxic effects of cancer treatments have become an important issue contributing to mortality and morbidity as cancer survivorship increases. Chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity can manifest in many ways, from asymptomatic decreases in left ventricular ejection fraction to congestive heart failure. Hypertension is commonly seen both as a co-morbidity and a side effect of chemotherapy. In this article, we discuss the pathogenesis, scope, presentation and potential prevention of these toxicities.

Cardio-oncology Part II: the monitoring, prevention, detection and treatment of chemotherapeutic cardiac toxicity.

Cancer treatment has advanced in recent years with new drugs, complex regimes and multiple modalities of treatment; which has improved survival of cancer patients. Cardiotoxicity from chemotherapy is an emerging, important issue. Currently, echocardiographic evaluation of ejection fraction is the most commonly employed diagnostic tool for detecting chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. However, novel echocardiographic techniques assessing myocardial mechanics using strain imaging can detect earlier changes. New imaging techniques and biomarkers can risk stratify patients to identify those requiring closer monitoring. Cardiologists collaborating with oncologists can detect and treat cardiovascular chemotherapeutic complications earlier, reducing morbidity and mortality. While cardiac MRI and multigated acquisition nuclear scanning are alternatives, echocardiography has become the mainstream for assessing cardiac function due to its portability, efficiency and low cost. Current recommendations regarding cardiac monitoring of cancer patients are based on expert consensus opinion. There is a need for prospective controlled trials to support specific guidelines.